London riots: in ashes, a firm that survived two world wars

It survived the Depression, two world wars and the deepest recession in a
century.

But House of Reeves, a 144-year-old furniture store in the heart of Croydon, could do little in the face of 100 or so yobs hell-bent on tearing up this particular corner of south London.

The shop, a local landmark of such repute that it gave its name to the road on which it now stands, was razed as youths rampaged through the town’s streets, smashing doors and windows.

In one of the most searing images of the London riots, flames tore through the store on Reeves’ Corner on Monday night, with smoke being seen for miles around. By morning, all that was left was a charred shell and onlookers were kept well back for fear that the shattered building could collapse.

It was a crushing blow for a company that was founded in 1867 and has remained in the Reeves family for five generations. Trevor Reeves, 56, the founder’s great-great grandson, said: “If we were a computer shop, they would have just broken in, taken the stock and left. But you can’t very well carry a three-piece suite through the centre of Croydon can you? It was obvious that the only thing left for them to do was to set fire to the place.

“It is completely devastating; heartbreaking. The family has been through a lot; the world wars and the Depression in the 1930s were obviously tough and the last few years have been particularly difficult, but we have always kept going.

“But this has devastated us. I just don’t know how we can carry on after this.”

The business was established when the young Edwin — a barrel maker by trade — moved to Croydon from Sherborne, Dorset, midway through the reign of Queen Victoria and just after the end of the Crimean War.

Ye Olde Curiositie Shoppe, as it was originally known, was passed to Edwin’s son, William, just before the First World War. After the Second World War, when its name changed to E. Reeves Ltd, it was passed on to William Jr, and, when he died at the age of 82, it came into the hands of Maurice Reeves, the firm’s chairman, now 80, and father of Trevor.

Eventually adopting the trading name, House of Reeves, the business is such a local landmark that, when the Croydon road network was redeveloped in the late 1970s, Reeves’ Corner was added to the London A to Z. Gavin Barwell, the MP for Croydon Central, who has lived in the town all his life, said: “If you look at the town centre, most of it was flattened by the Luftwaffe during the war, so all the buildings are from the Fifties or Sixties. Reeves, being just out of the very centre, survived. You can’t overstate just how much a landmark it is. Everyone knows Reeves. What happened on Monday night was an abomination. Mindless yobs simply destroyed more than 100 years of history and trashed countless other small family businesses in this area for no good reason whatsoever.”

Trevor, who is in charge of the day-to-day running of the business with his brother Graham, 53, added: “It has provided for my family for five generations, not just my family but the 15 or so families that work for us. And it’s all gone, destroyed by mindless thugs.”

The fire destroyed one of two buildings owned by the firm. The company will continue to trade out of the surviving site, which housed around half its stock. It is believed the bill for the damage could run into seven figures.

The blaze left 28 families who lived above the shop and in neighbouring homeless. John Restrepo, a landlord for seven of the families, said: “Some of them are children and now they have no place to stay.”

• Police investigating the large fire at Reeves Furniture store have arrested a man.

The 21 year-old was arrested by detectives from Operation Withern and is being held at a south London police station.

He was arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life.

Scotland Yard disclosed last night that a total of 685 arrests have been made in connection disorder across London over the past few days.